Floating marine bodies such as platforms, including pontoons or barges often need to be joined together to create a larger overall working surface such as to define a bridge or the like. Such platforms can also be utilised as a floating base for marine vehicle refilling or troop loading and to support helicopter operations, to isolate risky operations or similar situations.
However the key technical challenge for constructing such joined floating platforms lies in the connector design, which must address the difficulties relating to the relative motion between two platforms particularly in rough seas during the connection operation. The connector design must be able to sustain the dynamic forces as a result of the wave motion both during and once the connection has been established.
The relative vertical motion of two platforms can result in a relative movement between the two connecting units of more than 0.5 m (when for example a platform is 40 m long and 7 m wide and operating in sea state three). In such conditions it would be very difficult for the operator to catch the right timing when the two platforms are in a condition where the connection units are aligned in order to connect the platforms together manually. It is also extremely dangerous to the operator working at the edges of the platform as these not only move up and down but can also knock together. Such movement may be sufficient to knock the operator from his/her feet and thereby potentially causing serious or fatal injuries.
Several designs have addressed various problems with connecting two platforms together and such designs have been mentioned for example in the patent specifications of U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,382, U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,117, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,184, JP 20203488 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,929. The devices mentioned in these patent specifications all utilise a guided coupling pair, which allows for the two platforms to become increasingly aligned as the two platforms are brought together. However the coupling pairs are still in a rigid form and can cause significant impact loading on each other particularly when the engagement projection is not complete.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a system for connecting at least two buoyant marine bodies together which at least goes someway to overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art, or which will at least provide industry or the public with a useful choice.